Most other events haven’t been as dramatic, but when locals have cold feet about a race, they either cancel it well in advance (Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Brussels) or allow it to go on as a one-time event (Montreal, Battersea).
As a consequence, Reigle acknowledged that he was searching for arrangements with multiple IndyCar venues in the hopes of exploiting that series’ existing relationships with the local authority to organise a Formula E race. Although talks with St. Petersburg and Toronto’s Exhibition Place broke through, Portland remained a viable alternative while other U.S. towns had reservations. Even the New York City road circuit in Red Hook, Brooklyn, had strict attendance limitations (about 7,000, compared to the 40,000+ that attended in Mexico), and the arrangement with the city was not going to be extended for another year, highlighting Reigle’s point about keeping momentum. In summary, merely considering a place is time-consuming.
